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I listened to the guys with growing interest as I got my board ready to give them a demonstration. The trip was for Jamie? What did that mean? Maybe he was the one who planned it and not Lincoln as I’d thought…?
“Look, I don’t mind, you guys,” Jamie said. “I don’t do heights, but I’m sure I’ll be plenty entertained watching you guys do crazy shit.”
So he was afraid of heights… I glanced at the man who often seemed so somber and reserved. One would never guess that he had any fears. The discovery was interesting. There was something else that I’d discovered about him too. Something weighed heavily on his mind.
Jamie engaged with his friends, but I saw him zone out plenty of times, becoming detached from everything going on around him. For a moment, I got caught up in watching him move in the water as I wondered what troubled him. His muscles rippled under his skin as he guided his board on the water’s surface. He wasn't excessively muscular. He was… just right. Tall and lean from hours in a gym, I assumed.
Amid conversation with his friends, he glanced my way as if he felt me watching him. Our gazes collided for the briefest moment before mine skated away. I was embarrassed that he caught me checking him out. And did I really see what I thought I saw in his eyes? It was something intense and smoldering that rivaled the tropical sun. It sent a jolt of electricity through me that reached deep and turned into a hot desire, which curled in my core.
I gulped, not even wanting to know what the hell that was. A little breathless, I announced, “Okay, guys. Let me show you how to do this.”
“Are you sure it’s okay if I tag along?” Kaia asked, running a hand over the dress I’d loaned her.
“Of course.”
Lincoln invited me to dinner earlier. He said that the guys liked me and wouldn’t mind if I joined them.
“Yeah, we don’t want to impose,” Vera said.
“You’re not. I told Lincoln that I wouldn’t ditch you guys this evening, and he said I was more than welcome to bring friends.”
“He knows I’m eighteen, right?”
“Uh-huh. And his exact words were: Of course, you can bring the kid, Char. We’re just having dinner on the beach.”
“Kid?” Kaia wrinkled her nose.
“You are a kid… kid,” Vera teased as she ruffled Kaia’s hair.
The younger woman batted at her hand and grumbled about being an adult.
I smiled as we strolled around the area of the beach that was set up for dining. The resort was so massive that it took us almost ten minutes to walk from our side to the guests’ area.
Alex spotted me first and his face lit up. He was so much fun in a silly brother kind of way. The others saw us and waved, except Jamie. He stared at me for a moment then frowned and looked away. His reaction gave me pause. What did that mean? Did he not want me here? Why?
Vera interrupted my runaway thoughts. “Jeez, Char,” she murmured as we neared the guys. “Are your boyfriend’s friends all models or something?”
“Seriously.” Kaia put her fingers together to create a frame. She peered through her fingers. “Look at them sitting under that tiki hut… It’s like a freaking GQ cover.”
I chuckled. The guys were good-looking alright. “Lincoln is my ex,” I reminded Vera.
“Who knows?” Kaia gave me a mischievous grin. “Maybe by the end of dinner tonight, he’ll be your current boyfriend.”
I huffed. “Not another word about me and Lincoln from the two of you.”
“Okay, okay,” she said, holding up her palms.
“How many of Lincoln’s friends are single?” Vera asked. “I’m on the prowl tonight.”
I rolled my eyes. “I have no clue. You’ll have to find that out on your own.”
She glanced at me. “And you said they’re all super rich?”
“Yup.”
“Goodness…” Vera patted her voluminous afro as she eyed the men as if they were dishes set out on an open buffet.
We ended the conversation about Lincoln’s crew when he was within earshot. “Char, I’m glad you made it.” He swept me into an embrace that caught me off guard. Was it my imagination or was Lincoln becoming increasingly affectionate?
